What Sales Practices Your Team Hates (And What To Do About It)

Sales teams are the lifeblood of any business, tasked with the crucial role of satisfying customer needs with suitable products. However, behind the scenes, sales reps face a myriad of challenges that can hinder their success, especially in B2B SaaS sales practices, where teams rely upon recurring revenue. From cold calling to record-keeping, salespeople often find themselves grappling with tasks that detract from their core selling activities, and given that 46% of B2B sales reps list lead quantity and quality as their top challenge, mastering sales qualification is crucial for SDRs and AEs alike.

In this article, we'll delve into some common issues that sales teams encounter and explore how sales automation tools can streamline processes and empower sales professionals to focus on what they do best – closing deals and driving revenue.

1—Cold Calling/Emailing:

Cold calling is a daunting task that most salespeople dread. The fear of rejection, the uncertainty of outcomes, and the time-consuming nature of cold calling can make it a challenging activity for sales teams, especially when the success rate is as low as 2% in the B2B world. While seminars and books offer tips on mastering cold calling, sales automation tools can help keep pipelines loaded and ensure that no potential leads slip through the cracks. 

2— Lead warming: 

If any interest is registered in a cold call or through the marketing team then the next stage is lead warming or nurturing, strategies that engage with prospects, provide personalised solutions, and share valuable information helps you eventually increase your conversion rate. For many salespeople, the mere mention of nurturing leads can spark a collective sigh. 

It's not without justification; lead warming requires patience, persistence, and a generous dose of empathy—qualities that demand time and genuine investment. But for good reason: Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at 33% lower cost per lead, and nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than leads that aren’t nurtured. Given that only 29% of brands nurture their existing customers beyond the initial purchase, many companies are missing out on recurring revenue from satisfied customers who are willing to make larger purchases than cold leads. 

In the tempest of targets and deadlines, time is a treasured commodity, yet, this painstaking process is indispensable, leading to greater conversions sales success. 

3—Record-Keeping and Reporting:

Salespeople are typically focused on driving sales and closing deals, not on meticulous record-keeping and reporting. They thrive on making sales, not on documenting every detail. Yet maintaining accurate records and submitting timely reports is essential for tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement.  A notable 45% of sales teams report that their primary challenges stem from burdensome administrative tasks, including manual data entry, so it's a necessary evil to keep the sales process running smoothly. Managers need to emphasise the importance of maintaining sales records to ensure the business runs smoothly. 

3—Proposal Management:

A top concern for RFP teams is having enough capacity to address all RFPs (32%). When it comes to submitting proposals, salespeople are eager to win over prospects and secure deals. However, the pressure to offer competitive prices and the fear of losing out on opportunities can add to the stress. 

4—Customer Retention:

Maintaining customer relationships is crucial for long-term success, but it can also be a source of anxiety for salespeople. The fear of losing a hard-won customer due to errors or mishaps can weigh heavily on sales reps. A 5% increase in customer retention can increase company revenue by 25-95%, and given that the average retention rate is 35%, churn rate is a vital factor for continued success. 

5— Prospecting:

Another such challenge is researching prospects—a task as vital as it is despised by sales teams. Why such disdain, you might wonder? Well, imagine spending hours sifting through databases, social media, and company websites to curate the perfect pitch, only to find your message getting lost in the digital abyss of your prospect's inbox. 

The reality is, despite the importance in crafting a personalised approach, researching prospects is a time-consuming and often fruitless endeavour that many salespeople would happily avoid. After all, their passion lies in the art of the deal, not the prelude of preparation. Indeed, more than 40% of salespeople say prospecting is the most challenging part of the sales process, followed by closing (36%) and qualifying (22%). The sentiment is widespread—sales reps yearn to be in the field, engaging with clients, not behind a screen, sifting through data. 

Sales teams face a myriad of challenges that can impact their performance and hinder their success. But what if there was a way to automate these tasks, freeing up your sales team to do what they do best - sell? 

Enter Benji, your sales team's new best friend. 

Benji is a helpful dog assistant, an AI tool that automates the sales process. He's like a dog with a bone, tirelessly following your contacts, sniffing out personal updates, and drafting ultra-personalised messages that match your tone of voice. 

With Benji, your sales team won't have to worry about keeping up with social media engagement every day. He'll ensure no DMs slip through the cracks. Dead-end leads? Benji will help prioritise who is most likely to buy based on customer interactions and behaviour. Tedious data entry? Benji will take care of that too, collecting updates and ensuring uniformity across all departments. 

And those endless meetings? Benji will keep your sales team up-to-date without the need for regular meetings. Plus, he'll generate custom slides for in-person presentations, saving your team valuable time. 

In short, Benji takes the "work" out of your sales team's workload, allowing them to focus on building relationships and closing deals. 

So, if you're tired of seeing your sales team work like dogs, it's time to let Benji off the leash. Book a call and see what Benji can do for you. After all, no one should have to work like a dog, except for Benji!